Jaws (2019)

The beaches are open!

I LOVE JAWS. It is one of my favorite movies, I can quote it probably the whole way through. It is perfect, and you will never convince me otherwise, a masterpiece of a film. (the novel, on the other hand…well, it’s one of the few where I think the movie is better).

And with it being July 4th, the day the beaches are reopened in Amity because there is absolutely nothing to worry about, it felt like a good time to post about the board game!

The game is for 2-4 players. 1 player is The Shark, which involves hidden movement around the board, hoping to surprise the other players who take on the role of Police Chief Brody, Hooper, and “Captain” Quint.

There are two “acts” to the game – in part 1, the shark circles Amity Island, snacking on swimmers and avoiding the the team. Brody runs around the island, closing beaches and getting supplies. Hooper is on his science boat, using his fish finder to look for the shark and bringing barrels to Quint, who is out in the deeper water aboard the Orca, tries to shoot the shark with barrels or at least setting up motion detectors. The player who is the shark uses a pad to plan and track their movement and have special power cards with one time activation that let them swim faster, eat more people, or sneak past a motion detector. The more people the shark eats before the guys can find him, the more bonuses they will have in round 2!

In Act 2, based on how many swimmers were dinner, the shark gets extra powers and the men get supplies. Brody, Hooper, and Quint all have starting objects, but they also get to draw some bonus ones. Now they are on the Orca, out in the ocean, hunting the shark…and being hunted by him.

On the flip side of the board is the ship, made up of tiles that can be flipped or removed, representing the damage inflicted by the shark attacks. Brody, Hooper, and Quint all take their best guess on where the shark will pop up and aim their weapons (dropping tokens on the board). The shark player then reveals their location and hits and misses are calculated. If the shark manages to destroy the entire boat, that player wins the game. But if the crew can fight back and kill the shark, they win the game.

This game is great at capturing the tension of the movie. While the shark player sits across from you, trying to keep their face as blank as possible (“Like a doll’s eyes”), the rest of the table tries to think like a shark. The reveals always elicit cries of joy and/or “oh no!” as the shark meeple appears in their spot.

Putting on the soundtrack is a MUST while playing this game. And if you’re a fan of the movie, you will be delighted by the quotes on each card. I have played this a few times now and it is always a hit, especially with my family who are also big Jaws nerds.

Have you played Jaws, the board game? Have you seen the movie? Do you have a favorite board game that is based on a movie/tv show that is actually good also? They are rare unicorns out there, for sure!

Let me know in the comments! And maybe don’t go back in the water just yet…